How to Check an eBay Seller's Reputation (and Why You Should Do It)

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eBay Sellers Reputation

When you buy something from an eBay seller, you are giving them your money and hoping that you will get something in return.

However many guarantees of safety eBay might make to you, nothing is certain: if you just give your money to scammers all the time without doing any checks then the chances are you won't get all of that money back...

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So... 

You should always check the seller's reputation, or 'feedback rating'.

This is a quick and easy-to-read summary of their history as an eBay seller, which gives you some idea of whether or not you should trust them with your money.

Buying anything is a calculated risk: you want to minimise that risk.

How to Check Feedback Ratings 

On each item's description page, there is a box in the top-right hand corner about the seller, with the title 'Seller information'.

This contains the seller's name, their feedback score, and their positive feedback percentage, as well as any stars they have earned.

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Stars 

Different coloured stars are given to eBay sellers depending on their rating, in this sequence: yellow, blue, turquoise, purple, red, green, shooting yellow, shooting turquoise, shooting purple, shooting red.

Anyone with a 'shooting' star is an experienced eBay member who you should be able to trust.

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Member Profile Page 

If you click on the seller's name, you can get to a more detailed view of their reputation - their 'member profile' page.

This page shows the total number of people who gave them a positive or negative rating, as well as a breakdown by time.

You can also see a complete history of all the comments that have ever been left about them, with the most recent first.

What to Look For 

You might assume that anyone with a very high number can be trusted, but that isn't always true.

It is more important to look at their positive feedback percentage - and you should really consider anything below 99% to be a red flag and investigate further.

Feedback Analyzer 

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eBay

Negative Feedback 

Take a look through the first visible page with the most recent transactions: are there any negative comments? What do they say?

Take others' experiences into account, as they could happen to you if you deal with this person. Be careful not to punish sellers unfairly, however, if they did bad things in their past on eBay but have improved since.

You should look at the breakdown by time and ignore any negative feedback that was left a long time ago.

Equally, though, you should sit up and pay attention if a seller seems to have been left an out-of-character amount of bad feedback in the last month or so.

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More Advice 

Now that you know who to trust, it is worth learning a little more about how the different kinds of auctions work, so that you don't accidentally slip up and make yourself and your feedback page look bad.

Check out A Beginner's Guide To eBay Auctions for more advice!

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"Ebay" by Weird Al Yankovic

"I want it that way" by the Backstreet Boys is parodied by the excellent Weird Al Yankovic "Ebay" song - synched to the videoclip. I must admit Ebay is very much the way he describes it in the song. Don't take it too seriously; just enjoy! btw I actually love 'Star Wars'. Honours #5 - Most Discussed (All Time) - Australia #3 - Most Discussed (All Time) - Music - Australia #1 - Most Viewed (All Time) - Australia #1 - Most Viewed (All Time) - Music - Australia #1 - Top Favorites (All Time) - Australia #70 - Top Favorites (All Time) #1 - Top Favorites (All Time) - Music - Australia #53 - Top Favorites (All Time) - Music #22 - Top Rated (All Time) - Australia #14 - Top Rated (All Time) - Music - Australia #22 - Most Linked (All Time) - Australia #6 - Most Linked (All Time) - Music - Australia

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  • Reply
    roosterkeyes roosterkeyes Sep 3, 2009 @ 10:03 am
    Hey folks,

    I want to comment on negative feedback. Sometimes a seller can get a bad feedback and it's because the buyer didn't following instructions or is just vindictive. Granted, if a seller has many blips of negative feedback it's something to watch out for. Also note how a seller handled it with his/her response to the negative feedback. That can give you a clue as to how professional the seller is.

    Also, I have written a lens on a tool to help sellers and even buyers see what items are hot sellers and what they sold for but also what kind of traffic the auctions are getting. This can be useful to see what keywords and titles the sellers are using. If they get a lot of traffic they are more likely to sell. -- CLICK HERE -- to see the lens in detail.
  • Reply
    startupebaybusinessideas startupebaybusinessideas Nov 22, 2008 @ 3:39 am
    I am new to eBAy any advice to build a good rep fast
  • Reply
    repatoo repatoo Jan 28, 2008 @ 9:18 pm
    Unusual Feedback:
    POSITIVE: Item shipped quickly, have been having erotic dreams about seller. Thanks!

    POSITIVE: Thanks for great Rainbow Brite lunchbox. Should shrunken head be inside?

    NEUTRAL: Excellent communication, but should've poked holes in box before shipping the kitten. Refunded.

    NEGATIVE: Despite indication in listing, I could not fit item into any of my body cavities.

    NEGATIVE: Honda R-Type sticker did not add horsepower as advertised.

    NEUTRAL: Item shipped promptly and in good condition, but I should not have to bid on birthday presents from my parents.

    POSITIVE: I don't really remember what I ordered. But I've been sitting in the box it came in all day, and it's great!

    NEGATIVE: Product didn't work, possibly broken. I woke up this morning and was disappointed to find I still believe in Jesus Christ our Savior. Sad

    POSITIVE: Excellent Buyer. A . Thrilled by the quartz movement of the "Rolex". HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
  • Reply
    MagiesPlace.info MagiesPlace.info Sep 26, 2007 @ 8:48 am
    5 Stars! Well done! Please add your lens link to my www.magiesplace.info site..for free advertising. Wish you much success :}
  • Reply
    victoriamasters victoriamasters Jun 22, 2007 @ 2:06 pm
    So- what are the most common negative and positive feedbacks- I see A all the time- any more "unique" responses from anyone?

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